Smart City beat 36 Lion to retain Jagaban Cup title

After Nail Biting Final With 'Determined' 36 Lion, Smart City Are Champions Of Jagaban Cup Again 

Smart City Harvest Jagaban Cup For The Second Time In A Row

Smart City have emerged champions of Jagaban Cup Scouting Tournament after defeating 36 Lion 5-4 via penalties at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Friday morning.

The result meant Smart City retained the title, having also triumphed in 2022.

In the third place match played earlier in the day, Dino SC fought gallantly from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 against The Charlesann at regulation time.

The penalty shootouts saw Dino SC winning 5-4.

Memuda Emmanuel delivered a sumptuous effort beyond goalkeeper Samuel Oriola to edge Smart City in front on 20 minutes. 

A beautiful strike from ex Nigeria international Wisdom Ubani came off the woodwork as 36 Lion searched for the equalizer.

36 Lion deservedly restored parity through Lawal Seun who scored on the hour mark.

The game ended 1-1 after 70 minutes at Onikan and it all went onto what would be an intense and entertaining penalty shootouts you could see.

Smart City prevailed 5-4, thus retained their title.

Meanwhile, the Exhibition game saw Team Yellow&Blue humbling Iwowo&Alasho 2-0.

Brain behind Jagaban Cup, Gafar Olawale Liameed expressed satisfaction on success of the scouting tournament. 

"We give praises to God for His mercies and protection upon us throughout this tournament," the Lagos State Football Association Chairman mused. 

Speaking on plans to make subsequent editions of the tournament better and bigger, the President of 36 Lion Investment promised to bring lots of unique and exciting features to the tournament. 

"This is the second edition. Beyond the facts that Jagaban Cup symbolises the virtues and socio-economic re-engineering ethos of President BolaTinubu, it's equally a testament to our desires to birth a progressive and beneficial football ecosystem in Lagos and Nigeria."

"Football is my life. I breath and live for the beautiful game. It is my destiny, and I shall continue to work and collaborate with other genuinely concerned football stakeholders and investors, to return the glorious days of Lagos and Nigeria football," he added.

36 Lion Investment, Diamond Sports Management Limited, Lagos Enigma and IFMM are official partners of Jagaban Cup.

36 Lion set up clash with Smart City in Jagaban Cup final

Smart City and 36 Lion have booked their tickets to the final of this year's Jagaban Cup holding in Lagos State. 

The third place match would see The Charlesann battle Dino SC. 

Defending champions, Smart City displayed gritty performance to stage a comeback and record 2-2 against Mavlon FC in the opening match of Day Three in the 2024 edition of Jagaban Cup at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.

Mavlon raced to an early lead with brilliant finish from Emmanuel Stephen before half time. 

A thunderbolt strike from Egbeduokun Samson sailed past former Flying Eagles goalie Oremade Olawale to double the lead for Mavlon. 

The defending champions halved the deficit two minutes afterwards with Ibrahim Fuad getting to the end of a team build up initiated by Busayo Lemon. 

Ibrahim Fuad completed the comeback with his second of the game with nine minutes left on the clock. 

Both sides could have scored the winner in the closing minutes but they were undone by criminal misses.

The result saw Smart City end Group A as winners with five points from three games while Mavlon recorded two points. 

In the second match of the day, 36 Lion and Dino Sporting Club cancelled each other out with a drab goalless draw. 

The encounter produced less sparkling moments that could give either side the chance to secure victory but couldn't make it count. 

The encounter between The Charlesann and Ikorodu City ended 2-2 with the former finishing the match with 10 men. 

The Charlesann took the lead in the 11th minutes through Adebayo Joshua benefitting from a poor communication between the defenders and goal keeper of Ikorodu City.

The Oga Boys even the score seven minutes later as Sesan Emmanuel scored for his team with a great finish. 

Egeonu Collins restored the lead for The Charlesann through a sumptuous finish six minutes before half time. 

The Charlesann were reduced to 10 men after Ayinla Olayinka got his marching order for a second bookable offense. 

It didn't take Ikorodu much time to find the equalizer with Onyeme Emmanuel getting his second of the match. 

The enterprising striker went close to sealing the victory for the Oga Boys with two minutes to end the match but was denied by smart goalkeeping of Chigozie Joseph.

The result saw Charlesann finishing the group with five points but they were edged to first place by Smart City on goal difference. 

The last encounter for the day and also for the group ended 2-1 in favour of Broad City against Imperial FC. 

The first half of the match ended goalless with both teams failing to pounce on good scoring chances. 

However, with a minute into restart, Broad City took the lead through Bakare Ayomide as he capitalized on a defensive gaffe in Imperial FC goal area. 

The Boys of Seyi Olofinjana equalized four minutes later as Abisuga Samuel calmly placed his effort past the goalkeeper. 

With 10 minutes to end the pulsating encounter, Broad City regained the lead as Ayomide got his brace. It ended 2-1.

Group B was topped by 36 Lion who picked seven points while Dino placed second with four points.

Day 3 Results:

Smart City 2-2 Mavlon FC

36 Lion 0-0 Dino SC 

Charlesann 2-2 Ikorodu City 

Broad City 2-1 Imperial FC 

Day 4: March 29th

Third Place

The Charlesann Vs Dino SC 7am

Final 

Smart City Vs 36 Lion 8am

Smart City, 36 Lion record big wins as Dino SC fall to Imperial in Jagaban Cup Day 2

 

Game Day 2 of Jagaban Cup was filled with surprises. Smart City humiliated Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Imperial secured massive three points against highly fancied Dino SC, The Charlesann overpowered Mavlon and 36 Lion showed no mercy to Broad City. 

The day began with Nigeria National League derby.  

Hammed Adepoju's first blood was cancelled out by Adelani Shola as the first half ended all square.

Smart pierced a sharp dagger in the heart of Oga Boys during the home stretch.

Monday Emmanuel and Ibrahim Fuad delivered crushing blows, as Chibuike Prestige was unlucky to bag an own goal in an unforgettable game for his team.

Broad City faced another tough challenge in a ding dong battle with 36 Lion. Bangoura Mohammed opened the scoring just after three minutes. Badmus Ahmed equalized 26 minutes later. In the 44th minute, Oluwafemi Opeyemi tapped in from close range. Broad City stayed in the fight but Bangoura extinguished their hopes with the "Insurance Goal" for 36 Lion.

A beautiful solo goal from Emmanuel Stephen of Malvon distabilized The Charlesann in the third match of the day.

But The Charlesann dusted themselves and fought like Warriors. They got their victory thanks to goals from Egeonu Collins and Emma Chukwu.

10-man Imperial needed to make a statement after disappointment in their opener with 36 Lion. 

Dino never really got out the blocks. They had good possession and missed two penalty kicks.

Chidera and Musa Malik showed efficiency to give Imperial a two-goal cushion. James Okpe accounted for the consolatory strike in a dramatic end to the game.

Day 2 Results:

Ikorodu City 1-4 Smart City 

 Broad City 1-3 36 Lion

The Charlesann 2-1 Mavlon 

Imperial 2-1 Dino SC 

Day 3: March 28th:

Smart City Vs Mavlon 7am

36 Lion Vs Dino SC 8am

The Charlesann Vs Ikorodu City 9am

Imperial Vs Broad City 10am

Eight clubs to jostle for second Jagaban Cup trophy as European scouts invade Nigeria to fish our more talents

 

The 2nd edition of Jagaban Cup powered by 36 Lion Investment, Diamond Sports Management Limited, IFMM and Lagos Enigma Group will be held between March 26th and 29th, 2024. 

The tournament will host European scouts at Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos for 3 days.

Eight teams would feature in an effort to showcase their skills to foreign scouts with their eye on being invited to Europe for trials.

The previous tournament which took place in Lagos was very successful with scouts from Belgium, Turkey, Slovakia, Azerbaijan and Czech Republic in attendance. 

The outcome was invitation of several players to trials abroad and signing of deals.

Sochi wing back Solomon Agbalaka played in the first edition of the tournament.

Chief Organizer, Hajj Gafar Liameed briefed the Media on Tuesday night: "The scouts were happy with the standard that they saw in 2022 and believe there are many untapped potentials in Nigeria."

"Clubs have expressed their readiness to play the competition because of the opportunities and exposure it will bring to the table. We have already mapped out plans to surpass the successes recorded in the first edition.

"Flying Eagles defender Solomon Agbalaka is a product of Jagaban Cup. The lad has excelled so far in his stint at Sochi and we are proud that he is a player who shone at the Jagaban Cup.

"The aim of Jagaban Cup is to provide opportunities for players to excel in their careers and take the next steps to success. We did well to mobilize the youths to the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in the first edition. They are excited to be part of this year's event due to the trust they have in us.

"Football is a unifying factor for the Nigerian youths. The feedbacks we got from the first edition was massive. The fans want to enjoy the feeling of the Jagaban Cup and we are excited to ignite the good feeling," the Lagos State Football Association Vice President added.

Teams invited for this year's competition are Ikorodu City, Broad City, Smart City, 36 Lion, Mavlon, The Charlesann, Imperial FC and Dino SC.

Naija Super 8: How to vote for Smart City of Lagos

Smart City Football Club of Lagos is asking fans to vote massively for the club to enable the Lagos Darling Club to participate in the upcoming Naija Super 8 Competition.

According to a release from the club,  one hundred fans of the club would be sponsored to see the club play in the competition in Uyo, and Lagos respectively.

A part of the release read : 

" 100 Fans and supporters stand a chance to participate in the main tournament with interesting packages, including an all-expense paid trip to watch the team play live in Lagos and you throughout the tournament". 

For Smart City FC to be selected as one of the  teams to participate in the  competition you need to vote massively for the club following the procedures 

Visit 

 www.naijasuper8.ng

Select South West 

Select Smart City  Football Club of Lagos 

Register

Verify number (OTP)

Vote Smart City Football Club of Lagos. 

Submit. End of the process.

Voting ends by the 10th of May 2023

The Naija Super 8 tournament is a competition massively backed by DSTV as the matches will be widely televised on the channel.

Ottasolo Preseason Day 3 Wrap: Smart City put Remo Stars on the brink; Lobi close in on semi-final ticket

 

Remo Stars will now depend heavily on the results of other matches if they are to qualify for the semi-final round of the on-going Ottasolo Pre-season Tournament after they lost their second consecutive game to Smart City on Wednesday at the Legacy Pitch, National Stadium, Lagos.

The Sky Blue Stars had lost to MFM on Tuesday and were hoping to stage a comeback in the tournament but Lagos based Smart City had other ideas as they plan how to negotiate their qualification to the next round, too.

Smart City narrowly lost to Sunshine Stars in their first game on Monday but they stormed back to life with a 1-0 win over NPFL new entrants, Remo Stars. Habeeb Olaitan converted the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after he slotted the ball beyond the reach of Remo Stars goalkeeper, Timi Adeyoriju in the 15th minute.

After many failed attempts by both teams, Remo Stars were reduced to 10 when substitute goalie, Salami Kelvin was penalised for a foul on Amos Okoro in the 86th minute in the 18 yard box. Smart City's Toheeb Sunkanmi missed the resultant spot kick a minute later. 

There was no chance for Gbenga Ogunbote's men to get a face saving draw and have been booted out of the tourney with no points from two games.

Earlier, the host team of the on-going Ottasolo Pre-season tournament, Ottasolo International FC forced their more illustrious opponent, Lobi Stars, to a 1-1 draw at the Legacy Pitch, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, in the first game of the MatchDay 3.

Ottasolo drew their first game with 36 Lions while Lobi secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Yobo FC on Tuesday. Both teams were looking for a win that will move them closer to the semifinal stage of the maiden edition of the tournament.

Both teams came out smoking as they continue to look for the opening goal but failed to come until the 23rd minute when Ottasolo FC's Jelili Moshood put the ball beyond the reach of his goalkeeper, Korede Shodipo in his attempt to clear out  Lobi's goal-bound effort. 

The newly promoted Nigeria National League side didn’t allow the goal to weigh them down as they continued to pile on the pressure which paid off just three minutes later as Ogunjimi Samuel headed Ottasolo back into the game after he connected a lovely cross from Issah Mohammed.

While in another game also decided on Wednesday, Yobo FC put themselves in a better position to qualify for the semi-final of the pre-season tourney after a 2-1 win over 36 Lion.

Godwin Arewa put Yobo FC in the ascendancy with the opening goal of the game in the 23rd minute. It was their first goal in the tournament. Gift Nwokeke increased the goals tally in the 60th minute for Yobo FC but Raji Olamuyiwa reduced the goals deficit in the 70th minute to make for a frenetic final 20 minutes at the Legacy Pitch, National Stadium, Lagos.

On Thursday, Yobo FC and Ottasolo FC will slug it out in their final Group A game with both teams needing positive result to progress. The host, Ottasolo FC with two drawn games are under compulsion to beat Yobo FC to progress to the semi-final while Yobo FC with three points must also secure the maximum points to be certain of qualification irrespective of the result of Lobi Stars vs 36 Lion on Friday.

Smart City will also on Thursday face MFM in their third and final Group B tie. Both teams are on three points but Smart City have played a game more. Both are Lagos based clubs but Smart City will be eager to pick the maximum points that should be sufficient for a place in the semi-finals while the Olukoya Boys can't afford to lose knowing that their final group game comes up on Friday against tough Sunshine Stars.

Remo Stars with two losses are close to being bundled out of the tournament but they will trade tackles with Sunshine Stars also tomorrow with the sole aim of fighting until the end of the group stage if they could get an outside chance to qualify.

The Ottasolo pre-season tournament is in its debut edition with the owner of Ottasolo FC, Gabriel Davies as sponsor.

Ottasolo Pre-season Tournament:

Results

Ottasolo FC 0-0 36 Lion

Lobi Stars 1-0 Yobo FC

Sunshine Stars 1-0 Smart City

MFM 1-0 Remo Stars

Ottasolo FC 1-1 Lobi Stars

36 Lion 1-2 Yobo FC

Smart City 1-0 Remo Stars

Day Four (November 4) Fixtures

Yobo FC vs Ottasolo FC 9.00 am

Smart City vs MFM  2.00 pm

Remo Stars vs Sunshine Stars 4.00 pm

Ottasolo Preseason Tourney: Ajagbe inspires Sunshine Stars to outsmart Smart City on Day One

 

Substitute Azeez Ajagbe netted a late goal as Sunshine Stars defeated Smart City 1-0, while 36 Lion and Ottasolo FC drew 0-0 on the opening day of the 2021 Ottasolo Pre Season Tournament at Legacy Pitch on Monday.

Sunshine Stars have a much-changed squad for the tournament but managed to seal a narrow victory in a game of few chances in Group B.

Hadi Mohammed criminally missed a begging opportunity for Stars late in the first stanza.

Smart City also threatened, but it was Owena Whales who took the lead few minutes from time.

Ajagbe managed to get his strike beyond the Smart City keeper in the 85th minute.

Meanwhile, Ottasolo FC and 36 Lion played out a 0-0 draw earlier in the day.

Ottasolo were reduced to 10 men when Hammed Egbedeyi received a deserved red card.

But 36 Lion didn't make their numerical supremacy count as both sides shared the spoils. 

Action continues on Tuesday when the first games in Group B are played.

Lobi Stars are up against Yobo FC in the first clash (9am) and both sides will be eager to make a winning start in what could be a tight group.

The second game will see in-form Remo Stars face MFM FC at 3pm. 

The top two teams in each of the groups advance to the semifinals.